Venlose Voetbal Vereniging (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈvɛnloːzəˈvudbɑlvəˈreːnəɣɪŋ]), commonly known asVVV-Venlo (Dutch pronunciation:[ˌveːveːˈveːˈvɛnloː]) or simply asVVV, is a Dutch professionalfootball club based inVenlo,Limburg. Founded in 1903, the club competes in theEerste Divisie, the second tier of theDutch football league system. VVV-Venlo have played multiple seasons in the top-flightEredivisie, most recently between 2017 and 2021, and are among the oldest active football clubs in the Netherlands.
The club is based in the southeastern city of Venlo, near theGerman border, and hosts home matches at the 8,000-capacityDe Koel, a stadium known for its unique sunken design and steep stands. The team traditionally plays in yellow shirts and black shorts and is nicknamed "The Good Old". Organised as a member-based association, the club maintains a strong regional identity and is active in community outreach, including the presentation of theJan Klaassens Award [nl] and the hosting of the annualHerman & Wiel Teeuwen Memorial [nl].
Historically, VVV-Venlo enjoyed periods of success in the 1950s and 1960s, winning theKNVB Cup in 1959 and reaching the final again in 1962. The club has spent over twenty seasons in the Eredivisie and has become known for developing talent and regularly returning to the top flight through promotion. Notable players to have worn the VVV shirt includeKeisuke Honda,Bryan Linssen, andAhmed Musa. While the club has not competed in European competitions, it maintains a reputation as a competitive and resilient side in Dutch football's upper tiers.
VVV-Venlo's fanbase draws from across North Limburg and the lowerMeuse Valley, with strong local support rooted in regional pride. The club shares a local rivalry withMVV Maastricht, known as the Limburgse Derby, and has historically had competitive encounters withRoda JC andFortuna Sittard.
VVV originated from theassociation football clubDe Gouden Leeuw, which was founded by a group of friends inVenlo at the end of the nineteenth century. A few more name changes would occur, and the team was also known asValuas for some time. Eventually, it was decided on 7 February 1903 to change the name toVenlose Voetbal Vereniging (VVV), the current name of the club. VVV wrote itself into the history books as one of the oldest clubs in Dutch professional football. In 1909, the clubsVITOS andTHOR merged and became part of VVV.Quick followed in 1910.[1]
During the first years of its existence, VVV could not enter the highest league of Dutch football. This was due to the fact that before the1911–12 season, there was no first-tierEerste Klasse in the southern Netherlands, but only Eastern and a Western Eerste Klasse. From the1912–13 season, the South also competed in its own Eerste Klasse. VVV has been part of this since its introduction into Dutch football, with varying degrees of success. After the1921–22 season, the club suffered relegation to the second-tierTweede Klasse. Afterwards, the team played for some time in the Tweede Klasse, in which they won the championship during several seasons. They, however, failed to reach promotion to the Eerste Klasse again afterwards. After the end ofWorld War II, the number of Eerste Klasse teams was expanded, which also included VVV. From 1948 to 1952, the club achieved fourth-place finishes in the Eerste Klasse.
VVV returned to theEredivisie, the highest league in the Netherlands, by defeatingRKC Waalwijk (3–0) in the promotion/relegation play-offs in the 2006–07 season. After one season in the Eredivisie, VVV-Venlo were relegated back to theEerste Divisie. After a single season, VVV-Venlo won the2008–09 Eerste Divisie title and returned to the Eredivisie.
In the 2009–10 season, the team booked its best league result since 1988 after finishing 12th in the Eredivisie. Another remarkable event was the transfer of star playerKeisuke Honda toCSKA Moscow. They also signed toddler Baerke van der Meij on a symbolic ten-year contract, after a video featuring him scoring ahat trick into a toy box became popular.[2] Honda was replaced byGonzalo and the club signed Japanese playerMaya Yoshida. The departure of Honda turned out to be a key point in the club's season. In the second half of the season, the team was not able to win matches and barely escaped from relegation.
At the end of the season, key playersRuben Schaken andAdil Auassar both signed withFeyenoord on a free transfer. Gonzalo returned to his employerGroningen, whileSandro Calabro signed with Swiss sideSt. Gallen. The club contractedRuud Boymans and the NigerianAhmed Musa to strengthen the squad for the 2010–11 season. They avoided relegation, but it was a harsh season in whichJan van Dijk was fired and former internationalPatrick Paauwe terminated his contract after losing the competition from his competitors.
Belgian managerGlen De Boeck was signed for the next season, but failed to improve the results. As a result of that, he resigned in December 2011.Ton Lokhoff was recruited as the new manager and succeeded in avoiding relegation by winning the post-season play-offs. However, in the 2012–13 season, the club was relegated after losing the promotion/relegation play-offs againstGo Ahead Eagles. The club finished fifth in its firstEerste Divisie season since its promotion in 2009. But again, the club bounced back and returned to the Eredivisie in 2017, after clinching promotion by defeating RKC Waalwijk.[3] The club finished 15th and secured survival without the need for play-offs. In the following2018–19 season, VVV improved its league position, finishing 12th.
Resurgence, relegation and financial restructuring (2017–present)
In the summer of 2019, head coachMaurice Steijn left the club after five years in charge to take up a position in the United Arab Emirates. He was replaced byRobert Maaskant, whose tenure proved short-lived; after seven consecutive league defeats, he was dismissed in November 2019. Former playerJay Driessen served as interim head coach until the winter break, after whichHans de Koning was appointed on 1 January 2020. De Koning managed to lift VVV out of the relegation zone, ensuring the club's continued presence in the Eredivisie for the2020–21 season.
During De Koning's tenure, VVV suffered a record-breaking13–0 away defeat toAjax on matchday six of the2020–21 season, the heaviest loss in Eredivisie history.[4][5] Following a run of seven consecutive defeats, De Koning was dismissed and replaced byJos Luhukay on 17 March 2021. Luhukay was unable to prevent relegation, which was confirmed after a 3–1 away loss to Ajax on 13 May 2021. Despite relegation, the season included several notable achievements. Greek strikerGiorgos Giakoumakis scored 26 league goals, becoming the first player in the club's history to finish as Eredivisie top goalscorer. VVV also reached the semi-finals of the2020–21 KNVB Cup, their best cup performance since 1988.
Following relegation, VVV struggled to re-establish themselves in theEerste Divisie. Although the club qualified for thepromotion play-offs in 2023, they were eliminated in the semi-finals after a penalty shoot-out defeat to eventual promoteesAlmere City. Shortly thereafter, it emerged that the club was facing significant financial difficulties, leading to a scaling back of sporting ambitions and delaying plans for a swift return to the top flight.[6][7] In August 2023, VVV initiated a WHOA (Dutch Act on Court Confirmation of Extrajudicial Restructuring Plans) procedure in an effort to restructure its debts and ensure financial continuity.[8] On 1 February 2024, the District Court of Limburg approved the restructuring plan and the associated creditor agreement. The ruling relieved the club of a substantial portion of its outstanding debt, safeguarding its future.[9][10]
The official club mascot since 1 July 2004 is a dog named"Koelie" (English:Coolie).
TheJan Klaassens Museum, set up in 2003 is located in the city center of Venlo and is operated by the Limburgs Museum. Since 2005, VVV has annually presented the Jan Klaassens Award to the greatest talent from its own youth academy.[12]
TheHerman Teeuwen Memorial, named after the club icon who died suddenly in 2003, since 2004 has been organised by the club, usually with well-known foreign clubs participating on an invitational basis.
VVV announced in July 2015 that they would be retiring the number 28 shirt in memory of youth playerBeau Vilters, who had previously worn that number but was killed in a traffic accident on 14 June 2015, at the age of 18.[13]
In April 2011, after a viral video of a local toddler, Baerke van der Meij, grandson of VVV playerJan van der Meij, showing him scoring a hat trick into his toy box, the club gave the 18-month-old an honorary contract.[14]
VVV-Venlo currently play atDe Koel in Venlo. The stadium holds 8,000 people and was built in 1972. It is named after its main sponsor, hence its current name, Covebo Stadion De Koel.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
1914–15 Koninklijke HFC (3/3) 1915–16 Quick Den Haag (4/4) 1916–17 Ajax (1/19) 1917–18 RHC (1/2) 1918–19 not played 1919–20 CVV 1920–21 Schoten 1921–22 not played 1922–23 not played 1923–24 not played 1924–25 ZFC 1925–26 LONGA 1926–27 VUC Den Haag 1927–28 RHC (2/2) 1928–29 not played 1929–30 Feyenoord (1/14)
1930–31 not played 1931–32 DFC (2/2) 1932–33 not played 1933–34 Velocitas 1897 1934–35 Feyenoord (2/14) 1935–36 Roermond 1936–37 EVV 1937–38 VSV 1938–39 FC Wageningen (1/2) 1939–40 not played 1940–41 not played 1941–42 not played 1942–43 Ajax (2/19) 1943–44 Willem II (1/2) 1944–45 not played
1945–46 not played 1946–47 not played 1947–48 FC Wageningen (2/2) 1948–49 Quick 1888 1949–50 PSV (1/11) 1950–51 not played 1951–52 not played 1952–53 not played 1953–54 not played 1954–55 not played 1955–56 not played 1956–57 Fortuna '54 (1/2) 1957–58 Sparta (1/3) 1958–59 VVV 1959–60 not played